' "Predictive programming works by means of the propagation of the illusion of an infallibly accurate vision of how the world is going to look in the future". Through the circulation of science "fiction" literature, the ignorant masses are provided with semiotic intimations of coming events. Within such literary works are narrative paradigms that are politically and socially expedient to the power elite. Thus, when the future unfolds as planned, it assumes the paradigmatic character of the "fiction" that foretold it...........' The Illuminati: an all encompassing conspiracy stranger than any fictionposted by 0bvious (17 comments total)

Puts tin-foil hat on and backs away from the thread.posted by Mijo Bijo at 3:07 AM on December 11, 2005

Incredible! Somebody predicted WWII in 1933?? How ever did they see it coming?!?posted by mek at 3:24 AM on December 11, 2005

Thus, "science fiction" is a means of conditioning the masses to accept future visions that the elite wish to tangibly enact. This process of gradual and subtle inculcation is dubbed "predictive programming."

So which future am i being brainwashed to accept? The one where giant, phallic ants rip forth from my chest, the one where the Gov. of California comes from the future to kill me, or the one where Master Cheif shoots up the coventant on the ring world Halo.

I hope its the Second one. That would be cool.posted by Meccabilly at 3:54 AM on December 11, 2005

I wouldn't believe any of this except it would completely explain Orson Scott Card.posted by Space Coyote at 4:22 AM on December 11, 2005

The E.T. analysis in the last link is interesting.

But all that would mean that Steven Spielberg is in cahoots with the aliens, wouldn't it? Makes you wonder what "War of the Worlds" was all about.

Wait.... wasn't "War of the Worlds" originally written by that H.G. Wells dude from the Coefficient Club in the first link? Oh my God...posted by sour cream at 5:08 AM on December 11, 2005

All I have to say is FRENCH CANADIAN BEAN SOUP! No, arrrrrrgh!!!posted by ZenMasterThis at 5:56 AM on December 11, 2005

Ok, ok, I know it's dumb to treat this thread with any seriousness at all. I realize that, yet here I am commenting anyway. Sigh.

Last I checked, science fiction was about telling stories of the possible future, and how humans might react to those conditions. The fact that many of them ended up being right wasn't due to any particular ability to see the future, but rather from influencing young people to actually go out and create the inventions described. Clarke invented geostationary orbits; Asimov invented waldoes; Simak had an early book called Way Station that had a pretty good description of virtual reality and some modern gaming. (Simak's idea was a 360-degree projection of hunting alien creatures... a virtual reality hunting game.) An early Heinlein story had a microwave oven, including jokes about how easy cooking was going to become. ("I pressed the button to cook, you have to press the disposal button!")

There's no conspiracy here, it's just people coming up with neat ideas, and then other people going out and actually making those ideas happen in later generations with better technology. No force. No conspiracy. Not even a particularly good track record of prediction (I still haven't seen the frictionless surfaces in Way Station, for instance.) It's just later engineers thinking that particular ideas were good ones.

There's definitely some salesmanship involved, as in "Wouldn't it be cool if we had....", but no programming. :)

We had a post awhile ago about how we evolved two separate systems in the brain. One tracks physical reality, and the other tracks social interactions. The social-interaction circuitry doesn't seem to be able to really understand something ceasing to be, and tends to project 'motivation' onto totally random occurences. (Determining motivation is what it's for.) This led to the creation of religion... seeing the Divine Motivation of a Supreme Being at work, when things were in fact essentially random, and being unable to grasp the concept of death actually being an ending.

I think conspiracy theory is likely another side effect of this brain circuitry misfiring. Random interactions between humans happen, and the interaction mind projects the existence of all-knowing, all-seeing super-entities that Direct The Course of Human Affairs.

I'm sure this happens at least some of the time (a particular powerful person has a subtle idea and leads his/her nation to do something he/she wants without it ever realizing that was the original intention), but seeing them at work all the time, in everything, is just another form of religion.posted by Malor at 7:14 AM on December 11, 2005

"Among all the causes contributing to the continuance of a state of bad blood between England and Germany perhaps the most potent is the baneful industry of those unscrupulous writers who are forever asserting that the Germans are only awaiting a fitting opportunity to attack us in our island home and burst us up." --circa 1910

Bullshit. Where the hell is my flying car? Where the hell is our moonbase? Why aren't there intelligent computers?

Mostly I want my flying car, damnit!posted by bshock at 8:49 AM on December 11, 2005

Looking at the whole body of sci-fi literature (including futuristic, fantasy, precautionary [like 1984, Brave New World] etc.), you're bound to find a small proportion that can be said to have "come true" when viewed in retrospect.

And of course only one example is considered in the article, so it hardly makes the case for the general method of "predictive programming" being practiced.

Still, it's a fascinating concept. Undoubtedly it is more or less consciously practiced in areas other than sci-fi - e.g. in mainstream cinema, advertising, political statements, purportedly impartial studies.posted by jam_pony at 11:00 AM on December 11, 2005

Aw crap, now I realize that I've been programming myself to accept the rule of the fascist cybernetic old gods. Time to switch to pulp romance novels.posted by agent at 12:06 PM on December 11, 2005

I think the movie Armageddon clearly was propagandizing for Bush.

Wildcat cowboy oilman saves the world, he a plainspoken simple man vs. the week-kneed pencilnecked sissy scientist types who can safely be ignored. Red, white and blue in just about every shot. Patriotism overload.

If it scores any points I noticed these things at the time I saw it.posted by cps at 12:28 PM on December 11, 2005

Asimov predicted pocket calculators and commonly available online databases.posted by SPrintF at 12:49 PM on December 11, 2005

It isn't the right word SPrintF, more like imagined. I think you actually have to build it for it to be called an invention.posted by Chuckles at 3:31 PM on December 11, 2005

If you think about flying cars and accident statistics for about 3 seconds you realise we will never have them. But unfortunately, right now I can't think for that long.
*wanders off*posted by uni verse at 9:43 PM on December 11, 2005

There's no conspiracy here, it's just people coming up with neat ideas, and then other people going out and actually making those ideas happen in later generations with better technology.

Malor gets it right here. Want some proof? Frank Luntz - the architect behind the Bush administration's newspeak (partial birth abortion, clean air act, death tax, climate change, healthy forests etc) admitted in an interview to carrying a copy of 1984 around in his back pocket in his youth.posted by any major dude at 9:24 AM on December 13, 2005

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